Delhiites’ literacy on upswing, women torchbearer in schools, higher education: Govt report

Literacy levels among persons aged seven years and above have registered improvement between 2014 and 2017-18, according to the State sample of the 71st and 75th NSS rounds. In rural areas, literacy rose from 93.8 per cent to 96.3 per cent, while in urban areas it increased from 89.8 per cent to 92.0 per cent.

Alongside this progress, the gender gap — defined as the difference between male and female literacy rates — has shown a declining trend. During the same period, the gap narrowed from 12.0 to 7.7 percentage points in rural regions and from 9.2 to 8.7 percentage points in urban areas.

Women in schools

In Delhi, women are more inclined towards the teaching profession, especially at the primary level, with 415 female teachers for every 100 male teachers recorded during the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to a government report.

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The report highlights that at the primary level, the number of female teachers per 100 male teachers rose from 363 in the 2012-13 school year to 415 in the 2024-25 school year. At the upper primary level, this figure increased from 214 to 261 during the same period.

Additionally, at the higher secondary level, the number of female teachers per 100 male teachers increased from 152 to 168 between 2012-13 and 2024-25. There was also a slight improvement in female enrollment in higher education in Delhi, which rose from 49.08% in the 2022-23 academic year to 50.57% in the 2023-24 academic year.

Women in higher education

According to the report, the number of female students per 100 male students increased in various academic programs from 2013-14 to 2021-22. Specifically, the ratios improved from 98 to 106 in M.Phil courses, 82 to 102 in postgraduate programs, 100 to 110 in undergraduate programs, 53 to 67 in postgraduate diploma courses, and 57 to 79 in diploma programs in the regular mode of education.

Courses most opted by Delhiites

Among technical and professional courses in 2017-18, Medicine emerged as the most preferred field of study. Data shows that 43 per cent of males, 76.8 per cent of females, and 62.4 per cent of all persons were enrolled in medical courses during the period.

In 2017-18, the overwhelming majority of students in Delhi chose general courses over technical or professional streams. Data shows that 90.1 per cent of all students pursued general education, with the proportion slightly higher among males at 92.0 per cent compared to 88.1 per cent among females.

Working population & unemployment in Delhi

Despite this increase in female student enrollment, the participation of women in the workforce remains significantly lower than that of men. Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey reveals that, in 2023-24, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in Delhi was 52.8 per cent for men and only 14.2 per cent for women. At the national level, these figures were 56.4 per cent for men and 30.7 per cent for women.

Similarly, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Delhi was recorded at 54 per cent for the male population and 14.5 per cent for the female population in 2023-24, compared to the national averages of 58.2 per cent and 31.7 per cent, respectively.

The unemployment rate in Delhi remained lower than the national average for both genders. In 2023-24, the unemployment rate in the capital was 2.2 per cent for men and 1.5 per cent for women, compared to the nationwide figures of 3.2 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively.